Harry Potter and the Students of Konohagakure
by Cor Serpentis
Summary: Word reaches Konohagakure that Orochimaru has resurfaced, and is in pursuit of an unknown power in another country. Racing to join forces with a new ally, the shinobi find themselves thrust in the world of magic, hiding in plain sight. SasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

Hey there! Long time no type! Anyway, here's some of that brain stuffing I'm trying to get out of the way! Enjoy the prologue!

Warning/Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Other people do. There's gonna be a whole lot of yaoi stuff in this one, so...just fyi.

* * *

Voldemort landed gently among a heavily forested woodland, dispelling the charcoal black cloud that carried him. Days and weeks of fevered ponderings, almost frenzied dreams, of a hint-a clue-as to his next progression had finally brought him to this point. Word had begun circulating among the serpents that he consorted with, whispers of a powerful being shrouded in mystery. He had no idea who or what this person was, or what power he commanded, but it was clear that he had garnered the fear and respect of the snake world in a way that he himself was incapable. Perhaps he had managed to become an enigma amongst the reptilians, but Voldemort was not so easily impressed. Whatever powers this being had, he was confident that he could deal with it in due course. There was no power on this earth that he could not overcome. A lifetime of building on the greatest talents the wizarding world had ever seen, could not be overwhelmed by some backward sorcerer with a modicum of respect amongst a lowly species!

His black robes dragged along the ground, marking a path in the dried out debris of an ancient forest. After scrying throughout Europe, without catching a trace of the source causing the unrest among his serpents began, he turned his eyes toward the rest of the world. As his search dragged on, the stories of this mysterious Orochimaru grew every day. It seemed that every day brought new stories of his power and increased his belief that if he could just find that person, and kill him, he would find the power he was looking for. The power to overcome the prophecy, and fulfill it. The power to destroy the hated Harry Potter.

After what seemed like hours, he came to a decrepit looking cave mouth. Loose dirt gathered in small piles, blown by the prevailing winds surrounding the foothills that the cavern burrowed into. If any creature lived here, it or they were certainly uncivilized, living in such squalor. No decent wizard of any power or respect would live in such lowly place. Without a doubt, this was where the magical discrepancies were coming from. Pointing his wand into the air, Voldemort was determined to find his next target.

"_Ostendo vis vires_!"

A thin mist converged in front of him, creating an opaque layout of the surrounding area. The image soon solidified, showing a detailed map of the vast network of hidden caves, obscured by some sort of prevailing magical screen. It was not, however, intended to interfere with a simple Revealing Charm. His sense of confidence and ease grew, and he entered the hidden fortress.

The cave door slammed shut with a deafening crashing, bathing the tunnel in darkness. "_Lumos_" A bright light extended from the tip of his wand, chasing the vast blackness to the furthermost corners of the corridor. Serpentine carvings laced the walls of the seemingly endless passage. Wooden doors revealed empty rooms, and a pervading sense of unease began to tickle the edge of his consciousness. His footsteps, no matter how quietly or carefully he stepped, echoed throughout the hallway, announcing his presence ahead of him.

Voldemort's wanderings eventually brought him to a huge antechamber, with giant pillars supporting an arched ceiling seemingly beyond sight. Evenly disbursed torches dimly lit the vast chamber, immense shadows covering the expanse between. At the end of the cavity, a series of step led to what seemed to be a dais, a large, throne-like chair surrounded by emptiness.

Two, yellow eyes peered out from the darkness, seeming to emanate from the throne itself.

The shadows weighed heavily on his mind, urging him to speak when menace would have prevailed. "Are you Orochimaru? Answer now-and I may spare your life."

The enshrouded figure shook, as though with mirth, and a thickly accented voice answered him.

"Ahh. Such is the menace of a dark figurehead. I appreciate your straightforwardness, yet I will not be as easily intimidated as those you usually parley with. I trust you came here at the murmurings of the serpents."

The character spoke with an almost silky confidence, smooth and disorienting, filling his head with unspoken doubts. Who was this figure? What power did he possess? What did he know? What was unknown?

"I have heard of stories from the snakes. However, respect amongst reptiles does not garner you fear from myself. I fear I will cut this short, lest my purpose be unfulfilled. Do you or do you not possess the Eldar Wand?"

"Hm. Wand? I have no need of that, whatever it may be. Word has spread to me as well, Lord Voldemort." A sickening sense of sarcasm, laced with a arrogant mischief evidenced itself within those few words. "I find that I am interested in your circumstance, to have come by a body born with no soul. A vessel created to harbor a soul through the end of times. I happen to be vastly interested…in such an area."

"Be that what you wish, but it is of no concern of yours! If you don't have the power I want, I have no need of you!"

As fast as he could, he brought his wand in to position, the Killing Curse on his lips---and found that he could not speak. In fact, he could hardly move. His body was racked with small tremors, his flesh quacking as though trying to crawl off of his skeleton. Sweat broke out on his forehead, his heart pumping fast and hard, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Fear. He recognized it. Fear he hadn't felt in a long time. Two eyes enveloped his vision, and a menacing chuckle filled his ears.

"Huhuhu. Once again, I appreciate your attempts, but you obviously have no knowledge of our methods or practices. Very ignorant of you, hmm? Well, wittingly or not, you've served me well. Now, I will take that body from you, I have need of it. Need of a body that will never deteriorate. One that cannot reject my soul."

Gritting his teeth, Voldemort ground out a threatening statement.

"I will have your life for this. You cannot have it! My soul is immortal! I cannot be destroyed!"

Orochimaru let out a dark chuckle. "Your soul may be indestructible to me. Or even immortal. But destruction was not my plan of attack."

Focusing on the victim trapped in his genjutsu, he summoned his chakra to overtake this Voldemort's body. Once, he had needed to have acceptance from his vessels, but Sasuke Uchiha had taught him the error of such dependence. The human heart and mind were fraught with weakness, and mere mortals were below trust or reliability. Now, with an unwitting victim in his midst, he could switch bodies with his vessel, taking the place of the victim's soul. After finally being able to reform and posses a simpleton after Uchiha destroyed his body, his priorities turned from a mortal body that supported desirable traits to one that would not decay. Immortality was key to ultimate power, ultimate knowledge. He had the ability to recreate the Sharingan, or any other jutsu he desired. With all the time in the world, anything was possible through immortality!

All too soon, the pain of the transfer faded, and he looked at his former body through the slanted eyes of his new form. Allowing himself a small amount of mirth, he laughed at the contorted face of his own visage. Confusion and fear twisted his replica's features into a snarl. Looking at the strange stick in his hands, he decided to move on the origin of the strange jutsu these people harbored. He had much to learn.

* * *

Sasuke leapt through the tree line, dodge yet another frantic blast of green chakra.

"_Avada kedavra_!"

With each frenzied yell, another blast of strange chakra burst wildly from the figure's hand. Konohagakure had received intelligence of a new hideout for Orochimaru, the desperate Sannin attempting to rebuild his power. This creature, bearing a resemblance to the ninja he once served under, was most definitely not Orochimaru though. He doubted that he had ever been trained in the arts of ninjutsu.

A small chill touched his chest, from the ever-cool pendant hanging on a silver chain, carved in the symbol of the Uchiha clan. Peering through the slits of his bakeneko mask, he saw the waning sun glint off Naruto's pendant, carved into the series of spirals Naruto had adopted as his sigil. It was identical to the Fourth's sigil, but no one had any objections.

The pendants were the only reason that Naruto and Sasuke were entrusted with the positions of Anbu. They were hallowed objects, chakra wards placed on sacred metals or gems, designed in such away that they granted the bearers a shield around their mind---preventing any genjutsu or dark chakra from overtaking their wills. They were items of great rarity and power, almost impossible to make. After Naruto had merged with Kyuubi, and Sasuke returned to the Leaf Village, they were required for them to remain alive. The pendants were the only way that the Council could be sure that Naruto wouldn't fall under any lingering affects of Kyuubi, or Sasuke to the curse mark.

Jiraiya, as a master of seals, had created the objects. Sasuke's used a red tear, drawn from the Sharingan, as a chakra base. Naruto's a drop of condensed chakra. These were infused with the sacred gems found only in the craters of fallen stars---diamonds that fell from heaven. It was a long, and dangerous process, that required constant chakra output from both the maker, and a party entrusted with the maintenance of the gem during its sanctification.

Another blast of chakra brought him back to the moment. The figure raised his hands above his head, Sasuke's sharingan making out the formation of foreign words.

"_Legilimens!_"

Neji and Shikamaru, both had attempted to circle behind the target, froze, a dazed look on their face. His pendant burned with a fierce heat, yet leaving his skin unmarked. It was the sign of a genjutsu, or an attempt to overtake his mind, directed at him. The target had stopped moving, enlightenment slowly donning on his face. Whatever jutsu he had performed, did not look like it would turn out in their favor. Turning to Naruto, he spotted that he too was unaffected. Without thought, he threw a shuriken toward the heart, watching as it hit dead center.

Waiting for the figure to switch with a log, Sasuke was surprised when he fell over. Dead. Shikamaru and Neji shook themselves out of the broken jutsu, rejoining the group. With a quick teleportation jutsu, all four of the squad surrounded the fallen enemy.

Naruto knelt beside the body, his Anbu mask hiding most of his face. He and Sasuke had joined Anbu at the same time-but it soon became clear that assassinations were not Naruto's forte. He became a Hunter-nin, tracking down and eliminating ninja that abandoned the village. It fit.

Naruto's gloved hands extended over the corpse, a blue chakra enveloping them. Much like a medic-nin, he began examining the body, attempting to learn what secrets it hid.

Shikamaru was the first to speak. "What have you found, Myobu (1)?" Naruto had chosen that Anbu name for obvious reasons; proclaiming himself the fox. Very bold of him. "It's weird, Satori (2), he hasn't built up his chakra system."

Neji was the next to speak. "That's impossible. We saw him use that strange chakra; my byakugan can tell it is the same man. He couldn't have used that without any chakra."

"I know that Ganriki (3), but I'm just telling you what I see. Koketsu (4), can you see any jutsu with your sharingan?"

Sasuke looked at the body, still coated in the blue of an active chakra system. "No, but his chakra is still…alive. I don't know how else to describe it."

Neji looked at the corpse as well, "Yes, it's strange. It seems as though he is still connected to this world."

"That's what I thought. I wasn't sure though. Here, get ready."

Taking a step back, the team watched Naruto perform another of his jutsu-_kaibou no jutsu_. He took out a scroll, writing the sealing kanji on the parchment, and proceeded with the dissection. Also, he set a second one nearby, but Sasuke didn't know why. White fire encircled the body, lifting it slightly off the ground, and slowly incinerated the corpse. A white glow emanated from his normally blue eyes, and he raised his hands and extended the jutsu to his comrades. Sasuke saw a torrent of vision boiling through his mind-a language, a society, a culture, and a power. It was truly mind blowing, the secrets a body hid. This was one of the functions of the Hunter Anbu-dissecting and analyzing the defeated enemies' powers. Blindly completing the kanji, Naruto sealed a copy of the information within the scroll, and the body withered into dust.

Suddenly, a cloud of dark gray rose from the remains, a human face contorted in agony reared toward them. Reaching out, Naruto grasped at the phantom, a suppression seal in his palm. Grappling with the ghostly figure, Naruto managed to wrestle it closer to the scrolls. Quickly, Naruto took his brush, and in a flash of light, began to seal the apparition within the second scroll. Blue chakra encircled the smoke, drawing it within the confines of its sealing. Soon, nothing was left, but a kanji in the center of the scroll.

"Whew. I knew something weird was gonna happen. It's your fault, Koketsu! You should've killed him better!"

"Che. Dobe."

"Don't call me that, you, you, you jerk!"

"Oi, oi! Haven't you guys grown out of that already? It been over a year since we've all been back together, and you're still acting like genin!"

Naruto ruffled his hair briefly. "Sorry, Satori. I guess its become a habit."

Sasuke looked away, grunting something non-committal. "The dobe should no by now that he can't hold his own against me."

With an indignant squawk, Naruto rushed the perfectly muscled Uchiha, his tall build giving off the perfect masculine silhouette. "What was that?!? I believe it was me kicking some lily white Uchiha ass that brought you back in the first place!"

Snorting almost playfully, Sasuke fired back another retort. "Please! I came back on my own. Or, if you don't remember, I had to carry you back after you passed out! If anything, I own YOUR ass! In fact, I have a claim on that ass, and I'm gonna call that in some day!"

Flushing a brilliant red, Naruto sheepishly turned away, embarrassed by the graphic description Sasuke had depicted. Meanwhile, Sasuke seemed unaware of the affect he had on his partner.

Seeing a never-ending battle, Shikamaru stepped forward to cut it off at the root. "That aside, we need to report back to the Hokage. God, this is such a drag…"

Without another word, the squad headed back to the Leaf Village, Sasuke and Naruto in front-snide remarks flying back and forth, lewd comments punctuating the exchange, and Neji and Shikamaru in the rear guard-blessed silence marking the compatibility of the two different natured ninja.

**

* * *

**

Tsunade stared aimlessly at the wall behind her top squad. What she had seen made no sense. From all accounts, the collection of knowledge and memories taken from the victim attributed the strange chakra to a seemingly deviant cult of ninja. Why they were not related to the body was easy enough to uncover. Naruto's technique analyzed the spiritual aspect of the body, siphoning the memories and knowledge of the fallen into a seal.

"I don't have to tell you how serious this is. Orochimaru, our target, has decided to move onto an unsuspecting country. We cannot afford to allow him that luxury. We don't know where he is, or what he'll learn there, but we do know that he will bring it back here! He cannot be allowed that chance!"

Her fist cracked against the sturdy desk, splinters flying as the wood broke under her wrath. She lost almost as many lovers that way as she did desks. Well, of course she healed them! Things are never the same after something like that though.

"Shikamaru! What are your thoughts on the matter?"

"Well, we didn't have as much time as I would like to analyze what we obtained from this Voldemort. He seemed to have a high level of spiritual chakra techniques, but without any internal chakra system. I would say that he was trained to funnel his chakra through a resonance, like a chakra blade, and use that as a foundation for his jutsu. He would be able to use that ability without the focus, but with no chakra control, it would be wildly unfocused and ineffective. With Orochimaru having that item though, he could funnel his techniques through that, magnifying their power in a way I can't even begin to imagine. I would say that or best plan of attack is to join with anyone that this guy had been against."

Neji cut a glance at his teammate, while giving a silent prayer of thanksgiving that Shikamaru was nothing like Lee. "I agree. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Rubbing her temples, Tsunade fought to find such a person. "Thank you, Ganriki, but I could have thought that up myself! Where the hell is my sake? Shizune! Get me another bottle!"

Without waiting for a response, Tsunade started to ponder over what she had seen. Suddenly, it came to her. Leaping out of her chair, she ran over to the closet, rifling through things that had long gathered dust. Pulling out a crystal orb and stand, she placed them on the center of her desk.

"Ne, Baa-chan, what's that?"

"Quiet, gaki! It's a tool Sarutobi-sensei used to check in on what other people were up to. He taught me how to use it before the Great War."

Quickly catching on, Shikamaru spoke softly. "Are you using it to contact that Dumbledore person? He would be our greatest ally in this."

"Yes. He is the one we will make contact with."

* * *

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sat at his desk in the Headmaster's study. Peering down over the tops of his glasses, he invested himself in his work. These were serious times, calling for serious measures, and yet he could not decide on what new password should be!

"I've already used lemon drop, and licorice snaps…what the devil should I use now!?"

A swift movement of his arms cleared the desktop of all paperwork, as he abandoned his mission for one of slightly more dire consequences. He pulled out a dossier on Tom, trying to piece together his movements after he had graduated out of Hogwarts. It was vital that he gave Harry as much of a lead as he could, though the future often hid what was to be found in the next step, it often hinted of the destination. Which, when you think about it, was truly troublesome because it kept you looking forward instead of where you should. It caused him to trip more times than he'd like to recall.

A flash of light brought his attention to an old crystal ball held by an antique, wrote iron pedestal. He guessed that that object hadn't been used since Deshawn Gottfried had held the Headmaster's chair. Curiously inspected the abnormality was simply the only course of action. What good was old age if you lacked the good sense to realize that life is only worth living if you live a life worth wanting. Caution was for those who had something to build towards! He himself had passed that venture quite a ways away.

Peering into the clear stone, the mists within soon cleared to reveal a young woman with a simply generous endowment. A marvelous pillow, in fact. A stern, surprisingly authoritative voice echoed from within the core. Yes, that was what he had once longed for.

"Are you Dumbledore?"

"I am, my dear lady. Alas, but my time on this Earth has me at a loss. Have we some prior intimacies that my aging mind has forgotten? When you have so much thoughts in one head, I find that it is often a matter of misplacement that leads to such an embarrassment."

Annoyance emphasized the youthful palor of her skin. "No, we have not met before this. I need permission to enter your region. An intruder was found and killed within my lands, and we searched his past and found him to be connected to you."

"Really? And what, if I may ask, was the name of such a character?"

"His memories were fractured, and hard to understand. We were able to glean your language from his mind, but not all of his past. He went by the name of Voldemort."

Shock nearly tipped the old man over! "Voldemort is dead!? How can that be? The Horcuxes have not been destroyed!"

"Horcruxes? What the hell are those? All I know is that we destroyed the body he was housed in, and sealed his soul within a scroll."

"His soul is sealed? I must give my thanks to you, but I do not know the name to whom I should convey it to."

"My name is Tsunade, and we have work to do. A criminal of immense danger lured your Voldemort to his lair, and possessed his body. Orochimaru has long since made his soul immortal, and we believe he is heading to your country to learn more about the powers you teach. He cannot be afforded that power."

"I understand the gravity of such a concern; Voldemort was of similar standing amongst us. If this Orochimaru is capable of such a feat, he must be a truly wicked individual. Unfortunately, I am at a loss as to our journey from here."

"It's fine. Our finest strategist has solved that obstacle."

* * *

Harry Potter woke to the scrabbling sound of claws outside his window. Hedwig hooted indignantly at the late night intrusion. Fumbling for his glasses, he stumbled over to the window. A stately owl silently flew into the room, taking roost on a rounded bed post. Outstretching his leg, the owl offered him a letter addressed in his name.

Recognizing the flowing cursive, Harry urgently opened the letter, eager for any news about Hogwarts. He felt so trapped these days, knowing that Voldemort is still out there, somewhere. Switching on a light, Harry settled on his bed to read his midnight missive.

_"To Mr. Harry Potter_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would like to invite you to the beginning of a new tradition. In light of the changing era, Hogwarts feels compelled to leave a legacy of new changes. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore cordially invites you to the first Pangaea Tournament, a series of challenges and tests similar to the Triwizard Tournament. This event heralds an age of understanding between cultures that have never before interact. To ensure the safety and quality of such a historic event, you are invited to attend to qualification rounds for the guest assembly, on the 10th of August this year. The school dormitories shall be opened simultaneously in lieu of such a momentous occasion. History beckons many, and those who answer reap eternity. Witness the birth of legends!"_

* * *

1. Title for a white fox attributed to the shrine of Inari. Symbol of Luck. (Naruto's Anbu code name)

2. A creature that has the power to read minds. (Shikamaru's Anbu Code name)

3. Power of observation and insight (Neji's Anbu code name)

4. The tigers' den. The jaws of death (Sasuke's Anbu code name).

Well, I guess thats that. I have the strangest addiction to these crossovers, and I make sure at least one was done perfectly (in my mind at least)! Hope you guys liked it. 15 reviews will keep it going!

~Apythii


	2. Chapter 2

I've been dying to get this story out! I do have a request, seeing as its my first crossover, please, please review and comment! I really need the help. Also, I want to know if there is any reason to pursue a pure Harry Potter fanfic. Oh. I don't own anything here and I didn't make any money. I did trade it in for a donkey and the cheifdom of a remote Amazon village. I know, I said Pedigree was next, but, round robin works best for me...anyway. Enjoy, I'm not sure if this one is up to snuff. Please review!

* * *

Shikamaru's plan was simple. The trip to ally with this Dumbledore character would be labeled as a sabbatical mission, and its true nature could be hidden from the village council. Those old geezers always got in the way. Every shinobi was required to fulfill a certain quota of sabbatical missions; sabbatical missions were generally long-term, at least a year in duration and consisted mostly of intelligence gathering despite high ranked difficulty levels. Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke himself had sabbatical time built up, as well as the Hokage. In an effort to bolster their numbers, a quick scan of the shinobi rosters showed that both Iruka and Kakashi were due for their own sabbaticals as well. These missions were important to the ninja system, as they allowed the shinobi to relax and recuperate.

The four youngest of the group, mainly the ANBU squad, were to join Hogwarts as students sent to participate in the Pangaea Tournament, under the guise of cultural enlightenment, with the others as their chaperones. At seventeen and eighteen, they were some of the youngest ANBU on record, and were best suited to the role. It was requested that Tsunade take the part of a Headmistress, and another, soon deemed to be Iruka and Kakashi, teach a class termed Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, everyone was fairly inexperienced in the arts of 'wizardry and witchcraft'. Thanks to Naruto's dissection jutsu, they had learned several spells wrought from this Voldemort's fractured mind. The Headmaster had said their knowledge was on par with a Sixth Year student.

After informing Dumbledore of their plan, a package had arrived-by owl of all things-with a number of items he thought would help. The most important of these were the school uniforms, necessary to assimilate into their culture, and several wooden sticks called wands. Mere moments later, they had found out that the wands themselves were ineffective as a whole. The spells performed were weak and unreliable, and their jutsu were not even close to their former potency. In Dumbledore's defense, he had said that wands normally were only effective to a specific individual. The letter read as this:

_To my new friends and comrades, here are a few items that you may find useful during your employ at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The following are standard issue school robes, which lead the question to how the others are to dress. Upon arrival, each student as well as their superiors may wear clothing as they are accustomed, but after which shall be required to conform to the dress code of the school. The other teachers and I are sure to assist our fellows in terms of fashion; however, the students shall wear the enclosed uniforms. It is customary for each student to bring a pet as they desire, a cat, owl, rat, or such creatures of that capacity. However, being unfamiliar with the native fauna, each student may bring an animal of their choosing so long as they are, shall we say, suitable for a school. Also enclosed are several wands, which you may be unfamiliar with. As is with our practices, every capable individual is given a wand, and they provide the cornerstone of our magic. Given the unconventional situation, I regret to inform you that wands are usually quite selective of their users, and these may in fact be rather ineffective. Still, I hope they bring you enlightenment. Furthermore, within this missive lie the collected items necessary for the participating, as well as several copies of acceptable conduct. I request that the teacher placed in charge of the Defense Against the Dark Arts be present on the date of August the 10__th__ of this year at the previously arranged location, though the rest of your party should be present on the 17__th__ of that same month. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation._

_To broadened horizons,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore._

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Seeing as it was their greatest deficiency, it then became Sasuke's responsibility to create wands for each of the participants.

Neji's byakugan had dissected the main components-wood and a chakra base. His own sharingan gave a clue as to how to craft the objects. Sasuke's first few attempts were failures, simply too unreliable to be considered a success, but he began to get the technique down. Iruka and Kakashi had been the priority, since they were required to join with Dumbledore prior to rest of the group. Orientation or some such nonsense. With Iruka's wand, Sasuke soon discovered that length and strength greatly affected how chakra resonated within the wand, as well as to what types of jutsu were strengthened or weakened. This posed his first problem, because he wanted his product to perfect a jutsu, not hinder it. Several experiments later, he had discovered that blood was the perfect medium to synchronize the wand to the individual. The next obstacle was the wood, as each type had different reactions to the chakra core. Yamato had solved that problem, and provided copious amounts of all kinds of wood.

His first success, Iruka's wand, was eleven inches of banyan wood with a core of dolphin melon. It was fairly resilient. Kakashi's was his second, made of kousa dogwood with a core of silver wolf fur. Thirteen inches and fairly firm. After working through the rest of the team's wands, Sasuke was finally dealing with his.

Quickly glancing back to his finished wands, Sasuke tried to drown out the gnawing boredom the jutsu created. Once the technique was set, there was no thought process, the infinitesimal threads of wood fibers weaving through and around the chakra core in an intense and intricate braid.

Tsunade's wand was made of rare Philippine teak, surrounding a core of crystallized slug venom. It was a solid 15 inches, and was unyielding.

Next was Neji's. Cut from a silver tristis willow, it was twelve inches long and pale white, with silver veins skirting along the surface. Two feathers from a Grand Cetan, the contract summons of the Hyuuga clan, made up the core of the wand. It was slightly springy.

After that, Sasuke had constructed Shikamaru's. Also twelve inches, but made of acacia tree; it was a rich brown with mottled black streaks encircling the lamina of the wand. Somehow, it reminded Sasuke of the underbrush in some of the more ancient forests he had visited. A core of Kirin scales, the Nara summons, rounded out his wand. The finished product was sturdy with a little give.

Naruto's followed. Formed of dawn redwood, it shone a pale gold with a deep, rich gold braid worked through the wand. Originally, Naruto had tried to use toad oil from Gamabunta as a chakra core, but it didn't react well with his own chakra. That wasn't his only summons contract though. When Naruto had merged with the Kyuubi, the massive chakra influx would have killed the boy had Jiraiya not intervened. By sealing the chakra within a summons contract, he had assumed that the chakra would have been available for use; however, he wasn't expecting the chakra to form its own consciousnesses. A total of nine fox demons were left in Naruto's charge. The ninth, the strongest, had given a set of fangs to be used as the core of the thirteen and a half inches, supple, wand.

Bringing his attention to his own wand, the process was nearly complete. Made from a giant redwood, it gleamed black, the faint grain glinting blood-red in the light. At fourteen inches, it was the second longest of the group. His summons was an Uchihan Chimera, a monstrous black panther with a tail consisting of a virulent black serpent, and it had consented for its fangs and venom to be utilized for the wand. Strong, with very little give.

And then the project was finished.

Sending word to Tsunade, Sasuke returned to his quarters and began gathering things for the journey. Soon after, the signal, a black hawk circling overhead, called them to the Hokage mansion.

The team, minus Kakashi and Iruka, quickly gathered on the roof of the mansion. Everyone had packed lightly, and was ready to be off at a moments notice.

Tsunade spoke in clipped tones, "Sasuke, were you able successfully to create our wands?"

Snorting softly, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Brat! Don't make me pound that pretty face of yours into the mountain!"

Not deigning to answer her, Sasuke passed out the wands, watching as his teammates tentatively tested out their new arsenal.

"Ne, teme. How do I use this thing again?"

"Hn, dobe. All you have to do is focus on the jutsu and use the wand to complete the form. You don't need to use hand signs, but, it is absolutely necessary to speak the name of the jutsu. Because the jutsu lacks innate form, the name brings the jutsu into reality...usuratonkachi. To use the jutsu without the name requires a synchronism with the wand, as well as extreme focus."

"Bastard! That was a completely legitimate question! And did I ask for a novel, teme?! I know you need to be the center of attention and all, but you should at least try to keep your little performances to a minimum, it's not very attractive you know." Flicking his hair out of his eyes, clearly a dismissal, he didn't notice the threatening glower on the Uchiha's face as he took a menacing step in the blond's direction.

Immediately sensing a fight brewing, and seeing as Neji and Shikamaru really couldn't be bothered, Tsunade decided to step in. "Brat," she said to Sasuke, "Did you learn that technique from Kakashi?"

Hn. Of course he had learned it, or rather, merely watched it. "Of course, Tsunade-sama."

"Good, good. Now, for each of you that want one, you may summon a creature, but only one of lowest strength. Think along the lines of something that you'd be able to cuddle. I, of course, will be bringing Ton-Ton. Decide accordingly."

Neji bit his thumb first, summoning a caladrius cetan about two hands high and three hands wide, plumage not withstanding. The white bird's crest cascaded down its back, the elegant feathers seemingly untouched by gravity. It tail was longer than its body, pristine feathers akin to woven snowflakes. The youngest of the Grand Cetans, it went by the name Hotaka.

Gesturing slightly, Tsunade motioned for Shikamaru to go next. Naturally, having a summons greatly increased their chances for success, as well as added to their immediate power. Sighing, the lazy ninja summoned the littlest Kirin in his pack, Yasuhiro. Standing no higher than his knee, the small faun was covered with downy sage green fur. Scales of a deeper green wreathed his neck, spreading down to his front hooves and followed his spine partway down its back. A single, silver antler sprouted from the center of his forehead.

Cutting his eyes to Sasuke, Shikamaru passed the baton to him. Sasuke flashed his hands through the familiar motions, and summoned Takayuki, firstborn son of the chief of the Uchihan Chimeras. Black fur covered the cat, blacker than black, a shade that seem to eat the light around it. Two, blood red eyes glared fiercely, the juxtaposition highlighting their intensity, mirrored by the flashing eyes of its hissing tail. The light glinted off the oily black scales of the twisting serpent, its irritated fangs bared menacingly.

"Why have you summoned me, Uchiha?"

Briefly, Sasuke considered ignoring the creature. If only this summons was as loyal as the others. Still, the contract was vital to his power. He hadn't known of it until recently, as it was not given to Uchihas until they were married, but he had discovered the scroll in his archives. He had discovered much in the archives. The chimeras had complete control over fire, as well as unrivaled knowledge of venoms, and through the contract, Sasuke gained that knowledge. The chimera, however, got the ability of the sharingan. He couldn't afford to alienate this creature. "I have a mission, and you are required."

Naruto snorted in annoyance, attracting the feline's distaste. "Teme, it's my turn. Take the kitty and give it a spanking if you wanna waste time. Sheesh." Before Sasuke or Takayuki could get a word in edgewise, Naruto had summoned Shigeru, the first of his nine fox demons, and the smallest. Exactly the same size as Takayuki, Shigeru was his opposite in everyway. Light gold fur shone with such luxuriance, there seemed to be a perpetual aura of light around the fox. A small blue gem gleamed from its forehead, offset by the sapphire markings circling its paws and the base of its long tail. Two golden hoops tipped each of its long ears.

"Naruto!" The little demon yipped. Leaping into Naruto's arms, Shigeru mewled happily, both parties unaware of Takayuki's deepening glare. A brilliant blue eye peeked around its shoulder, and Shigeru spotted Takayuki.

"Takayuki!" Without another word, the fox leapt out of Naruto's arms and began nuzzling the other summons. Takayuki's tail wrapped around Shigeru's, hissing warnings at anyone that moved in their direction. The two creatures had taken a liking to each other, having gotten acquainted through various missions. Sasuke smirked at his little creature, something striking the situation as familiar, watching Takayuki bear his friend's licks and nuzzles with a face of frozen long suffering.

"If you'd like, I can request one of my snakes, Takayuki."

"No!" Raising an eyebrow at the summons sudden shout, Sasuke didn't even have time to question it. "I'm here already aren't I? Let's just get on with this."

A soft, "You were going to leave me?" Emanated from somewhere inside Takayuki's fur, but the group tuned out the goings-on of the two summonses.

Nodding her head, Tsunade gestured for the team to get into their positions. "We all need to join in this jutsu. It requires a lot of chakra, and we have a long way to go."

Silently pooling their chakra, Sasuke began flashing hands signs so fast it was hard to distinguish one from the other. His sharingan glared menacingly, "_Rairyuu chikuden no jutsu!_"(1) Black lightning crackled around the group, convalescing into an ominous serpentine dragon. Ensconced by the black lightning, the group was soon engulfed in darkness. Devolving back into streaks of lightning, the electricity shot into the sky, dark clouds marked their westward trail. Thunder rumbled in the distance, the roof left devoid of its former occupants.

* * *

Harry Potter could very well be having the most brilliant summer of his young life. Since this upstart competition was being held at Hogwarts, he had left his Aunt and Uncle a whole three weeks earlier, and had finally celebrated a birthday at the Burrow. Needless to say, it was a lot more enjoyable to have Mrs. Weasley faun over him like a long-lost son than to be completely ignored. Last year had scarred him, with Sirius dying, but, somehow, he had managed to cope and grow. He liked to think that Sirius would be proud of that, that he would keep on fighting, like a true Gryffindor. Or, to be honest, like a true Marauder. Harry would carry on, and his tribulations only served to give him purpose.

There was a tension though. He had expected this year to be full of battles and intensity, but, Ron had told him that the Death Eaters had been bleatingly quiet. It was as if they had all but been destroyed. The Order was nearly in an uproar with pent up frustration. Harry could understand that, if the Death Eater's were all incapacitated, his righteous fury would fritter away. Several questions tortured them, like, how the Death Eater's were organizing without their knowledge, or how so many of them had disappeared from the Wizarding world. To their knowledge, nearly all confirmed Death Eater's had been left unaccounted for, only Narcissa Malfoy remained in her mansion. Harry assumed that that blond prat, Draco, was holed up with his mommy. That bloody ponce wouldn't leave his mum if Harry tried to lure him out covered in whipped cream and chocolate…not that Harry would even offer. Harry couldn't stand him, what with his arrogant use of magic and waving of blood-right with that god-awful, perfectly proportioned arm.

Ron said that the world of magic as a whole was basically holding its breath, too frightened to believe that the attacks that had grown so frequent at the start of summer, had stopped as sudden as they began. They all clung to hope though, but didn't dare embrace it. They couldn't let themselves believe that Voldemort was defeated again.

Harry had had a scare or two himself; namely being knocked unconscious by a bleeding dream. He'd told Hermione about it, and she was all but no help. She'd listened, and then all but admonished him for not keeping up his occlemuncy. Still, she wouldn't believe him when he said this dream was different! It gave him shudders just to relive it.

Harry had felt that familiar, gut-wrenching sensation of seeing through another pair of eyes. Voldemort took him down a strange passageway, somewhere underground. Odd carvings marked the corridor, stretching from floor to ceiling, bathing the entire tunnel in a heavy atmosphere. Listening to the echoing footfalls, Harry noticed they had entered a huge room with high, vaulted arches rivaling those of Hogwarts' itself. A lone figure was in the room, emanating an eerie presence. Voldemort and this figure bantered back and forth, Harry not quite catching what they were saying. Focusing on the moment, Harry felt a huge amount of fear coursing through his 'body', his gaze trapped in his opponent's. There was a bright pain resonating in his head, and nausea and vertigo racing through his mind, and a poisonous burn consuming him from the inside out. He remembered a tremendous pressure in his rib cage and his skull, as though a great force was yanking at his insides, until something was literally pulled out of him. However the dream had ended, Harry couldn't recall; he had woken up two days later with a splitting headache, and a bowl of cold porridge the Dursleys had left him. Usually, when the dream ended, he woke up. This was the first time he was thrown into unconsciousness. Something had happened during that dream, something that he knew was important.

Absently, Harry registered Ron and Hermione going off to do whatever it is prefects do at the start of term, some sort of meeting or the like. Grinning, happy to be heading back to Hogwarts, happy that he was considered an adult by Wizard standards, and looking forward to kicking some Slytherin arse in quidditch, he rushed onto the train and began searching for an empty compartment.

Groaning in frustration, Harry threw open door after door, each one full of flustered first years, pretentious second years, and on and on. Determined, he threw one more open, a victorious grin spreading across his face as he realized there was room for him. There was a pair of luggage on the racks, but there was still room for him, and Ron and Hermione if they could find him. Settling into the compartment, Harry stared out the window, feeling rather optimistic about the start of term. Unless that bloody brat, Malfoy, had anything to do with it. Harry swore all the git did was sit around and think of nasty things to say about him. Malfoy really needed to get a life.

"Harry, we found you!!" Turning toward the door, Harry was wrapped in a hug by an overly enthused Hermione Granger. She was much the same as when he first met the girl, but somehow, she had managed to gain as much social skills as knowledge since her academics started.

"Geez, 'Mione. I didn't get nearly an involved hello as that. Anyway, we just left him at the platform minutes ago." Ron mumbled slightly, a light blush standing out against his pale skin. Harry decided he didn't really favor Ron's shade of skin, it made it seem as though Ron was constantly clashing with his own hair. Not that Harry thought any less of Ron for it, but it was just an observation. Maybe they should find out if Draco used any magical skin care products. Draco had beautiful skin. Pale, but somehow, luminescent, like the moon…that didn't excuse him for being a prat though! God, sometimes Harry wondered how on earth anyone would survive if they had to deal with Malfoy on a day to day basis. Harry couldn't even comprehend what it would be like, to wake up to that insufferable mug, and believe it, he really did try. He always ended up fighting with the fictitious Malfoy, over tea, over clothing, over the bed sheets that Harry liked. The man was infuriating.

"Well, Ronald that was probably because you were covered in gnome bites as well as a good layer of filth even _I _didn't want to learn about. Besides, Harry always loves a good hug; he's practically starved for physical affection."

Harry glared at Ron's knowing nod, blushing straight through to his ears. His best mate, agreeing to some rubbish that made him look like a sodding whoopsie!

"Ne, Iruka, I bet you're starved for physical affection. I bet I can help you with that…"

Harry felt slightly vindicated as Ron slammed his head into Hermione's as they both jumped in shock. True, he jumped just as high as the two of them, but at least he didn't ram his head into anyone!

"Hentai!" Another voice shouted out, followed by what sounded to be a brilliant punch. Harry didn't even need to look for the voices, seeing as an old man crashed into the floor from somewhere up above. A tanned man, with a wicked scar right across his nose, landed next to the crumpled body.

"Hands. To. Your. Self. That's the terms we agreed on, you blasted pervert!!"

Harry didn't know what to make of this man; he didn't act like a wizard at all. He didn't even have time to ask who he was, let alone what he was doing, before the gray-haired man was hugging the brunette from behind.

"Saa, so mean!"He pouted childishly.

It looked like the tanned man was going to retort quite viciously, if the twitch to his eyebrow was anything to go on, but Harry got his question out first.

"Um. Who are you? And why were you on the ceiling?"

Slamming the other man into the wall, the young man turned sheepishly to the group, seeming to not notice their shock at this display of violence.

"I'm sorry. I'm a little on edge. I've been dealing with _that_ for over a week now. Anyway, my name is Umi-no. Iruka Umino and that is Kakashi Hatake. We will be teaching the Defense Agaisnt the Dark Arts class this year. As to why we were on the ceiling, well, we were tired of sitting."

Hermione took a breath, a telltale sign she was intrigued. "Are you Professor Hatake's assistant? You're much younger than him. How long have you two been teaching?"

Scratching his head meekly, Iruka laughed out an answer. "Umm. Actually, he's only a year older than me. He was born with that hair color, believe it or not. I'm going to be doing most of the teaching, seeing as Kakashi-sensei has more experience in the field, he teaches advanced students. I've taught student for almost seven years now, and Kakashi…he taught for a while himself…"

Deciding to have his say as well, Harry posed his question. "So have you two been teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts for long?"

"Oh, well, we aren't exactly experts in traditional Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Great, Harry thought, a _pair_ of teachers who didn't know what they were doing. Mumbling something noncommittal, he tuned out Hermione's and the young professor's conversation, noting that it was sporadically punctuated by Hatake's apparent perversion.

Standing up rather suddenly, he headed out of the compartment.

"Where are you going, mate?"

"The lavatory, Ron. Why, wanna hold my hand? I'm not Hermione you know."

Grinning in vindication, figuring Ron's vicious blush to be completely justified, he headed out to use the facility.

**

* * *

**

Heading back to his compartment, Harry glared at an all-too-familiar blond head attached to an all-too-perfect arm closing a door with all-too-suspicious grace. There was no way that something good would come of this. Draco Malfoy was not known for 'something good'. Fishing around in the Bottomless Pocket that Hermione had given him for his birthday, Harry pulled out his father's invisibility cloak, and was in the compartment before Malfoy managed to shut it closed.

**

* * *

**

Draco was having veritably the worst summer of his young life. Near after the end of term, the Dark Lord-as his father had so wantonly called the man-had disappeared without a word to any of his most loyal confidants. Seeing as the man thought he was vastly superior to everyone, it wasn't a rare occurrence, though. What was an oddity was the man hadn't come back, and for all purposes, had gotten himself killed.

His suspicions about the Dark Lord's fate were confirmed by his mother, and the mysterious sickness spreading through the Death Eater ranks. His father, as well as Aunt Bella and those closest to the Dark Lord fell sick first. It was a disgustingly painful, yet surprisingly quick, flesh eating sickness. His mother told him that all those with the Dark Mark would get that disease. She said the Dark Lord had rigged the Mark to do that once he died. Snape, as well as herself, would not die. They were the only two that Voldemort had trusted, or perhaps simply pushed aside as inconsequential, and they still retained the Mark of the Great Lord's youth, the one that faded away with his failure.

Needless to say, Draco and his mother had fallen into weeks, well, not weeks, maybe a good fortnight, of despair over his father and family. Lucius hadn't been the most nurturing man, and, he had never had much involvement in his life. In truth, Draco doubted the man was in any of his childhood memories, or pictures for that matter. The rest, well, he hadn't really cared about them either way.

His mother had loved his father, but she bloomed in his absence. She became that formidable, beautiful woman that had raised him. Draco, though, had fallen into something akin to listlessness. What was he to do now? Obviously, continue with his schooling, thankfully, without the threat of Death Eater-ship. How was he to act? For the first time, Draco didn't know. His father, whether knowingly or not, had continually dictated how he acted. He always tried to please his father, but now, now he didn't have to. Draco had done his best to emulate him, only to be ignored. Narcissa would always love him, he knew that, and over the summer he had learned so much from her. Turns out, his father was a Hufflepuff, or had been, until Narcissa got her talons into him during second year. Through some such chaos, she had managed to get him transferred to Slytherin, and subsequently married the man.

Then, there was Harry Potter. Back in first year, the one time that he decided to act of his own accord, he had been utterly snubbed by the most arrogant of whelps. It was Draco's fault, really, driven by some misplaced heroism he had attributed to the Muggle-raised twit. He still remembered it, clear as day. There was the famous Harry Potter, the only person in the world who would be powerful enough to be his best friend, to be his equal. That coddled pet Savior had thrown him away like a commoner. Needless to say, Draco had lost some sleep over that little interaction. Lucius had encouraged the anger, and Draco had lashed out in some rather spectacular ways.

Now, though, he could react to Potter as himself. He had taken the summer break to 'find himself', as his mother's magical guru had instructed, and he rather liked what he found. Not much different then who he was at school, but he gained more confidence, more power, and he felt calm for the first time in years. He had clarity, which didn't bode well for those who feared him before. His mother told him in confidence, after he had been declared enlightened, that his magical power had risen to the same level as Voldemort's had been before the Fall. A marvel that he hadn't been expecting.

Still, it was hard to completely abandon who he had been up to this point. Tempted to rub his temples in defeat, Draco fisted his hands in his rob. Everything was so confusing now! Hexing a couple first years that were clearly out of line and in his way, he walked to an empty compartment and prepared to meditate. His guru had instructed that he practice Muggle hand-to-hand combat as a way of channeling his emotions, as well as meditating regularly. After shutting the door, he shed his tie and cloak, followed by his shirt, and sat in the middle of the room.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he heard a gasp in the corner of the room. Not looking, at least not openly, he cleared his mind and searched out another presence in his temporary haven. Hmm. Harry Potter. Object of his distress. Why the little blighter thought he could peek on him, eh? Irritation broke across the surface of his face; he would deal with Potter later. He needed to calm down. He needed to know why, after all these years and these last months of soul-searching, why Potter was still the one who got under his skin. Grinning inwardly, he decided to give Peeking Potter a show.

**

* * *

**

Harry stared. There was no other way to describe the face he was making at the moment, devoid of emotion, eyes locked on a shirtless Malfoy. There was…nothing, absolutely nothing running through his head. He tried to wrap his head around the concept, but all he kept coming up with was…Draco was more muscular than he thought. He looked really slender in his clothes, but he was, well, the Muggle term was ripped. Maybe he had taken up some sort of fitness class…no. Malfoy, doing something physical! Almost laughable, really, Harry had this ridiculous mental picture of Draco in spandex and leg warmers.

Still, he must have done something. His arms were much thicker than Harry's, and his legs looked like tree trunks compared to his, even in Hogwarts pants. Draco just sat there, looking incredibly formidable. Harry wasn't sure what he was doing, but, he…felt something start to happen. A light breeze started circling the small room, each zephyr gaining in strength and intensity.

Harry flattened himself against the wall, nearly forced back by the rapidly pulsing magic. Draco was in the same position as before, impossibly calm in the midst of the chaos. Each blast was a slap in the face, and Harry gasped as he began to levitate in the center of the room. His eyes caught a glint, a glimmer, of sweat. Starting at Draco's neck, wide eyes followed it trail south. Routing past a clear cut clavicle, it stopped briefly at a wonderfully pert nipple. Gaining speed, Harry watched as if spelled, the sweatdrop making quick work of Draco's many ridged stomach before disappearing in a trail of silken hairs that originated from his navel, before sweeping beneath his waistband.

Draco stood, suddenly, and Harry become uncomfortably aware of a silvered gaze locked in his direction. There was no way that he could see him, right? He was underneath his invisibility cloak, it was infallible!! His body went stock still, as Draco's hot hand cradled his left ear. It was all he could do not to nuzzle that welcome heat. Warm lips brushed the fabric next to his ear, Draco's breath making the cloth stick wetly to his skin.

"Potter, did you really think after all these years your invisibility cloak would still be able to keep you from _my_ sight? Remember this, Potter. I will _always_ be able to find you, now."

Without another word, Draco left, and Harry bolted back to his compartment, stuffing his cloak into his pocket.

Panting, he collapsed against the door frame, realizing he was interrupting a rather involved conversation with Hermione and Professor Umino. He may have been saving a rather put out Ron, though. Professor Hatake was reading a brightly covered orange book, strange markings littering the paperback.

"As I was saying, the headmaster specifically requested us to teach our own style of magic to Hogwarts, we haven't actually had contact with the Ministry of Magic, so I can't say whether or not I would be accepted into any Order, be that of Merlin or any other." Professor Umino was saying.

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, "That's incredible! This is the first time in Hogwarts' History that teachers have been requested outside of ministry control!"

Outside Ministry control, Harry thought. That can't be good. They probably had no idea how things worked. This was too much! Draco, acting the way he did, and what's worse, how Harry reacted to it! This just kicked the bucket! Harry was about to through a splendid tantrum when Hatake reached out and fondled Umino's ass!

Reacting spectacularly fast, Umino had thrown Hatake against the side of the car, with one arm no less!

"_Kokkan shinketsu no justu!_" (2)

Harry had never heard the spell that the young professor used, but he could tell right away that it was powerful. Great wintery gusts of wind plastered Professor Hatake against his wall, before taking the form of a beautifully imperious woman clothed entirely in white. In fact, she was white from her skin to her hair, but shone with a cold seductiveness. Wielding a great sword, the woman charged at Hatake, great gouts of ice following her strike.

The blow splintered the wall to scraps, Hatake thrown out of the speeding train. However, it looked like Professor Umino wasn't done. Without even waiting for his supposed opponent to recover, he shouted two more spells in tandem.

"_Ninpou, hyoushou shuriken! Shuriken, kage bunshin no jutsu!_" (3) The ice shards from the woman's attack broke into hundreds of spinning star-shaped knives, their sharp edges glinting in the daylight. In a flash of smoke, the hundreds easily turned into thousands! Rotating for a moment, they launched themselves at the falling form of Professor Hatake.

Umino brushed off his robes, and reached into his pocket and extracted a wand. Harry blinked quickly. He had just performed all those spells without a wand!! With a muttered, _reparo_, Harry watched as his professor repaired the walls of their compartment.

Hermione and Ron were frozen in shock, even Harry was in shock! Their professor had just murdered someone right in front of them!!

A loud pop made everyone but Umino jump, a ragged looking Hatake glaring at the younger of the professors.

"How did you do that? You're a chuunin!"

"Chuunin?" Harry mouthed to Hermione, getting a shrug in return.

"I'm well aware of my rank, jounin! Don't take it out on me when _you_ underestimated your enemy!"

"Those jutsu are above your rank!"

"Obviously not. Seeing as you know my rank, but apparently not my strength, you should realize you need to _back off!_"

"Saa, Ruka-chan. You should know me better than that! If anything, you've left me wanting more!"

Drowning out the pairs confusing attacks, Harry turned to his friends for some source of sanity. Hermione gave Harry a significant look. Things were definitely not going to be the same this year.

* * *

1. Flight of the Lightning Dragon technique. Conjures a dragon to carry its user over vast distances.

2. Life-blood of winter's heart technique. Conjures a ice goddess to attack. Devolves into a devestating thrust consisting of several pointed iceberg shapes.

3. Ice crystal shuriken technique, shuriken shadow clone technique. Creates ice shuriken, mutliplies shuriken with tangible clones.

Well, I would like at least ten reviews for this one, just so I know if its any good. I was kinda discouraged at the response the first chapter got, but I love the story so I decided to post anyway! Still, reviews really help and are o so appreciated! Thanks!

~Apythii


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